Level 2 — Elementary (CEFR: A2)
Unit 7 — Verb Group 3: -IR Verbs
Lesson 14 — Full Tense Practice: -IR Verbs
Lesson Overview
Level: 2 — Elementary Unit: 7 — Verb Group 3: -IR Verbs Lesson: 14 of 14 — Unit Capstone Estimated Time: 120 minutes
What this lesson covers:
- Full tense review for all -IR verb forms covered in Unit 7
- Taking seguir, servir, recibir, decir through all six tenses orally
- The interpretation lab: 3-minute personal testimony using all three verb groups
- Evaluation criteria: tense accuracy and meaning fidelity
- Unit 7 completion checklist
Full Tense Reference: -IR Verbs
Integration tables for the four designated verbs. Each tense is represented by the yo and ellos forms.
seguir (to follow)
| Tense | Yo | Ellos | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | sigo | siguen | e→i stem change + -go yo |
| Preterite | seguí | siguieron | e→i in ellos only |
| Imperfect | seguía | seguían | Regular -ía |
| Present Perfect | he seguido | han seguido | Regular participle: seguido |
| Near Future | voy a seguir | van a seguir | Infinitive unchanged |
| Simple Future | seguiré | seguirán | Regular future |
Seguir shows two distinct irregularity types: present yo-go + e→i, and third-person preterite e→i. Followed by a regular pattern in imperfect, perfect, and future.
servir (to serve)
| Tense | Yo | Ellos | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | sirvo | sirven | e→i stem change |
| Preterite | serví | sirvieron | e→i in ellos only |
| Imperfect | servía | servían | Regular -ía |
| Present Perfect | he servido | han servido | Regular participle: servido |
| Near Future | voy a servir | van a servir | Infinitive unchanged |
| Simple Future | serviré | servirán | Regular future |
Servir is the pure e→i model: present all boot forms, preterite third persons only, then regular in all other tenses.
recibir (to receive)
| Tense | Yo | Ellos | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | recibo | reciben | Regular |
| Preterite | recibí | recibieron | Regular |
| Imperfect | recibía | recibían | Regular -ía |
| Present Perfect | he recibido | han recibido | Regular participle: recibido |
| Near Future | voy a recibir | van a recibir | Infinitive unchanged |
| Simple Future | recibiré | recibirán | Regular future |
Recibir is the fully regular -IR verb model — all six tenses follow the standard patterns with no irregularities. This is the baseline.
decir (to say)
| Tense | Yo | Ellos | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | digo | dicen | e→i + -go yo |
| Preterite | dije | dijeron | Irregular stem dij-; dijeron not dijieron |
| Imperfect | decía | decían | Regular -ía |
| Present Perfect | he dicho | han dicho | Irregular participle: dicho |
| Near Future | voy a decir | van a decir | Infinitive unchanged |
| Simple Future | diré | dirán | Irregular stem dir- |
Decir shows the highest irregularity density of any -IR verb: present yo-go + e→i, fully irregular preterite stem, irregular participle, and irregular future stem. It is the most complex verb in the -IR set.
The Six-Tense Oral Drill
Take each verb through all six tenses in three passes: yo forms, él/ella forms, nosotros forms. Say each form followed by a ministry sentence.
Seguir — Full Oral Drill
Yo forms: sigo — Sigo a Cristo sin mirar atrás. seguí — Seguí al Señor aun cuando no entendía su camino. seguía — De niño, seguía a mi abuelo a la iglesia cada domingo. he seguido — He seguido al Señor durante veinte años y nunca me ha fallado. voy a seguir — Voy a seguir a Cristo sin importar el precio. seguiré — Seguiré al Cordero dondequiera que vaya.
Él/Ella forms: sigue — El discípulo fiel sigue al Maestro en todo. siguió — Siguió al Señor aunque le costó su reputación. seguía — Antes, seguía los caminos del mundo sin propósito. ha seguido — Ha seguido al Señor con fidelidad desde su conversión. va a seguir — Va a seguir la visión que Dios le dio para esta comunidad. seguirá — Seguirá predicando mientras tenga voz.
Nosotros forms: seguimos — Seguimos al Buen Pastor — Él conoce el camino. seguimos — Seguimos a Cristo juntos durante esa temporada difícil. (preterite: same form, context clarifies) seguíamos — Seguíamos el plan del ministerio con fidelidad. hemos seguido — Hemos seguido la guía del Espíritu Santo. vamos a seguir — Vamos a seguir a Cristo hasta que lo veamos cara a cara. seguiremos — Seguiremos proclamando el evangelio hasta que todo el mundo lo haya escuchado.
Decir — Full Oral Drill
Yo forms: digo — Digo lo que Dios pone en mi corazón. dije — Dije la verdad aunque nadie quería escucharla. decía — Antes, decía mentiras para protegerme — hasta que encontré la verdad. he dicho — He dicho todo lo que Dios me dio para decir en esta etapa. voy a decir — Voy a decir la verdad sin importar las consecuencias. diré — Diré lo que el Señor me dé para decir.
Él/Ella forms: dice — La Escritura dice que en el principio era el Verbo. dijo — Jesús dijo: “Venid a mí, todos los que estáis cansados.” decía — El profeta decía siempre la misma cosa: arrepentíos y convertíos. ha dicho — Dios ha dicho todo lo necesario en su Palabra escrita. va a decir — El Señor va a decir el día final: “Bien hecho.” dirá — El Señor dirá: “Bien hecho, siervo bueno y fiel.”
The Interpretation Lab
From the curriculum: Listen to a 3-minute personal testimony using all three verb groups. Interpret into English consecutively. Evaluate: tense accuracy and meaning fidelity.
Sample Testimony (for Lab)
Spanish passage to interpret into English:
Antes de conocer a Cristo, vivía sin propósito. Iba de trabajo en trabajo. Pedía más y nunca encontraba satisfacción. Sufría por dentro aunque nadie lo sabía.
Un día, un vecino me dijo algo que nunca olvidé: “Dios te ama y tiene un plan para tu vida.” Recibí esas palabras con escepticismo, pero algo me siguió hasta casa. Decidí ir a una iglesia ese domingo.
El pastor predicó sobre la gracia de Dios. Sentí que me hablaba directamente. Cuando hizo la invitación, salí de mi asiento y fui al frente. Entregué mi vida a Cristo esa noche.
Desde entonces, he vivido para Él. He servido en esta comunidad. He seguido al Señor aunque el camino ha sido difícil. He dicho la verdad aunque me ha costado. Cristo ha abierto puertas que yo nunca hubiera podido abrir.
Voy a seguir sirviéndole. Vamos a ir adonde Él nos envíe. Vamos a decir lo que Él nos dé para decir. Porque Él vendrá y cumplirá cada promesa que ha hecho.
English target interpretation:
Before knowing Christ, I used to live without purpose. I went from job to job. I asked for more and never found satisfaction. I suffered inside even though no one knew it.
One day, a neighbor told me something I never forgot: “God loves you and has a plan for your life.” I received those words with skepticism, but something followed me home. I decided to go to a church that Sunday.
The pastor preached about God’s grace. I felt he was speaking directly to me. When he gave the invitation, I got up from my seat and went to the front. I gave my life to Christ that night.
Since then, I have lived for Him. I have served in this community. I have followed the Lord even though the path has been difficult. I have spoken the truth even though it has cost me. Christ has opened doors that I could never have opened.
I am going to keep serving Him. We are going to go where He sends us. We are going to say what He gives us to say. Because He will come and will fulfill every promise He has made.
Evaluation Questions
After completing the interpretation:
-
Tense accuracy: Were preterite forms (dijo, fui, decidí, sentí, salí) distinguished from imperfect forms (vivía, iba, pedía, sufría)? Were present perfect forms (he vivido, he servido, he seguido, ha abierto) rendered with “have + participle” in English?
-
-IR specific forms: Did you handle siguió (e→i preterite third person), sintió (e→i preterite), dijo (irregular preterite), salí (regular preterite of irregular present), and ha abierto (irregular participle)?
-
Tense shift markers: Did you catch the structure change at “Desde entonces” (present perfect section) and at “Voy a” (near future section)? These markers signal tense shifts that the interpreter must reflect.
-
Meaning survival: Did the theological arc come through? Specifically: the before-Christ life (imperfect), the encounter and decision (preterite), the ongoing walk (present perfect), and the commitment going forward (near future and simple future)?
Unit 7 Completion Checklist
Before beginning Unit 8, verify that you can:
Present Tense:
- Know the -IR present endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -en
- Know the one difference from -ER: nosotros uses -imos not -emos
- Know the e→ie stem changes: sentir → siento, preferir → prefiero
- Know the o→ue stem changes: dormir → duermo, morir → muero
- Know the e→i stem changes (unique to -IR): pedir → pido, servir → sirvo, seguir → sigo
- Know the five irregular verbs: ir (voy), decir (digo), venir (vengo), salir (salgo), oír (oigo)
- Know traducir → traduzco (yo irregular)
Past Tenses:
- Know the -IR preterite endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -ieron (same as -ER)
- Know the -IR unique preterite rule: e→i and o→u stem changes in él and ellos only
- Produce correctly: pidió, sirvió, siguió, sintió, durmió, murió
- Know the four preterite irregulars: ir/ser (fue), venir (vino), decir (dijo), salir (regular: salió)
- Know that dijeron not dijieron
- Know the -IR imperfect endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían (same as -ER)
- Know the one -IR imperfect irregular: ir → iba
- Know the five irregular -IR participles: escrito, abierto, dicho, muerto, ido
Future Tenses:
- Know that near future uses the infinitive unchanged for all -IR verbs
- Know the three irregular -IR future stems: vendr- (venir), dir- (decir), saldr- (salir)
Integration:
- Take seguir, servir, recibir, decir through all 6 tenses orally without notes
- Complete the interpretation lab recording
- Evaluate the interpretation for tense accuracy and meaning survival
Daily Practice Going Forward
Unit 8 integrates all three verb groups. The -IR verb set you have built in Unit 7 overlaps substantially with -ER:
- -IR and -ER share the same imperfect endings
- -IR and -ER share the same preterite endings
- -IR and -ER share the same future endings
The -IR specific elements to maintain:
Daily: The five key yo-forms: sigo, sirvo, pido, vengo, digo — the five that distinguish -IR present from the regular pattern Daily: The four irregular participles: escrito, abierto, dicho, muerto — say the sequence once Weekly: The third-person preterite stem changes as a complete chant: pidió, sirvió, siguió, sintió, durmió, murió Weekly: The three irregular future stems as a chant: vendré, diré, saldré
These 16 forms across the three categories represent the core of -IR verb irregularity. The regular patterns apply themselves; these must be maintained consciously.
The Unit 7 completion marks the point where all three verb groups are in active rotation. Unit 8 consolidates them into a unified, integrated oral system. The work of the next unit is recognition speed — hearing any conjugated form from any group and producing its meaning in English without hesitation.